Pumpkin Time!

This weekend was a pumpkin weekend. We went to the pumpkin patch and carved our pumpkins as well. This is quite the accomplishment according to my kids who informed me today that they have "never" carved pumpkins before. HA! I have pictures to prove otherwise! They are not entirely wrong though, their memories only go back so far and we have not carved pumpkins for a few years.

Enough typing...here are the photos!

The family shot! Can you see Cait? she is Mike's kangaroo baby in the pouch!

She slept through most of the pumpkin patch visit.

Our little pumpkin is almost 6 months old! Awe, first trip to the patch!

My 5 wonderful (sometimes cranky, messy, rude and gripey) kiddos!
Imperfect just like me, I love them all so much!!

Pumpkin carving is done best in the semi-nude apparently.

finished products!

This Is Where We Live!

After having visitors the last two weekends, I am addicted. I hope more of our family and friends will come join us in this beautiful place that we live. We might even take you here...

Knox Mountain is 20 minutes from our house and a beautiful walk along the gorgeous Lake Okanagan. We decided to get outside this weekend and enjoyed an awesome afternoon together.

Our little guy..what a cutie.

There's our crew!

Mike and the kidlers. I'm already planning to go back with an "extra" to get this exact view in a photo with me in it...



This is the girls at the end of the walk...this is SO them!

Wild Water Adventures

Yesterday we took the kids to the water park. I have been telling them about this water park for a while, you know, "when I was a kid..." It was great to finally take them and show off one of Fresno's finest venues!!

So excited to get started!

We met Erin and Dave and their 3 kids at the park. Dave and his son Cohl went on lots of fun "big kid" rides with my big girls. The mats they are holding make them slide much faster down the water slides...the big girls loved it, Maddie was not so thrilled. She went once and that was it!

Mikayla was really brave, she did the yellow banzai two times!!

Caleb loved sliding and playing in the pirate ship.

I was so thankful for the waterproof camera so I could get photos of the kids in action! See my feet? This ride was huge and Mailee was really nervous but she did it!

I was able to go on rides and enjoy the big kids because Grandma Bev came along, we rented a cabana and Caitlyn and Grandma bonded in the shade. Thanks Mom!

Wild Water Adventures boasts the "largest wave pool in California" . It was large and the waves were huge and the kids LOVED it. The two tubes and two life jackets were super helpful!

The big girls floating in the wave pool.

I forgot how multicultural my town was.

We had a really fun day. No major meltdowns, no lost kids, no injuries! The biggest success in my opinion was how cute my kids were together. They looked out for each other and helped each other all day. They are awesome kids!

The one thing missing? Mike. We will have to go back someday with him!

Caitlyn's First Outing

It took a few hours to gather everything, dress the baby, feed the baby, pack the bag, change the baby, get 4 pairs of socks on 4 kids, pack a picnic lunch, feed the baby again, put the bikes in the van, switch around every one's car seats, add a new seat...but finally, we were off on our first family adventure with our new girl!

One small person, a whole lot of stuff!

Wow! She loves the sunshine.

Our Fantastic Five!

(the girls were fighting over who got to hold the baby so she ended up laying in front :)

Sister-girls!

I'm overwhelmed. Honestly, everyone needs something from me all day long, or at least that is how I feel. I feel inadequate to meet every one's needs and stay calm and pleasant all the time. I feel impatient and irritable. Blogging is the only thing I can do with one hand while I nurse the baby. The rest of the house feels like it's falling apart. I should take a photo of that. Ha!

All of that is true and totally real right now but in the bigger scheme of things, I am so blessed! 5 healthy sweet kids. A whole bunch of family here that is filling in the gaps where I can not....The baby will not stay tiny forever, she will grow and be able to get her own socks on one day just like Caleb can. I want to embrace these moments and cherish them before they are gone!

Snow Day

Yesterday we went 11 miles down a logging road to get to a good sledding spot. The park across the street is possibly a bit more my speed but doing a big trek like this once a winter is definitely FUN! There was a fire and lots of friends... A few times I even forgot that my feet were frozen :)

Of course the trip would not have been complete without some pictures...

Mikayla caught snowflakes on her eyelashes...can you see them??

(The one that looks like it's on her lip is actually suspended in air,

falling from the sky)

Mailee had two big sledding spills early on and after that she was quite satisfied hanging out with me, watching the sledders.

Maddie was gung-ho. She kept going till the end.

Caleb had a good time, too. I offered to go with him at one point and he turned me down to go with Aunty Tammy. Go figure :) She is one FUN Aunty!!

Basketball in Kamloops

After the birthday party, the family packed up and drove to Kamloops to watch Brian play basketball. Mike and Caleb and Mike's dad have been driving to Vancouver almost every weekend of the season to support Brian. This is his last year playing and the guys do not want to miss out! The 2 hour drive to Kamloops as opposed to the 4 hour drive to Vancouver made it possible for EVERYONE to come!

The FAM at the game :) Everyone is here...that's harder to do these days! We should just make this the Christmas card!!

The "other team's" mascot was quite friendly! Caleb was terrified of him.

Maddie is our videographer! She loves to videotape.

Terri captured this adorable picture that is SO Maddie!

The team

Brian shooting. He was the leading scorer, we were so proud!

Brian's team, the Trinity Western Spartans (where I went to college, too :) won the game.

Oh- exciting news- the other team even had cheerleaders!! I would say they rivaled a mediocre high school squad in the US but I was glad to see them there and in their defense, they were swimming up stream trying to excite an un-excitable crowd, er, country. I love Canada but the majority are lacking any passion for sporting events. At least the events I have attended... Perhaps they save their enthusiasm for hockey?

A Few Randoms

I stole this photos off of my sister's Facebook album to share with all of you :) I guess that kind of makes me like Robin Hood, stealing something just to share it....although that would have to mean that you, the readers, are lacking photographs to look at...ha ha, there goes that analogy!

How sweet!

Wow, big family!

This is the day after Mailee's eye got "bonked" on the trampilone...it's not too bad at this point...

Pumpkin Patch

For the last two weekends we have enjoyed the fun at a farm about 45 minutes out of town. It was so great last weekend, we came back for more! The weather was so beautiful today.

Check out that sky!!

Here are some highlights...

An update on Mailee's eye: here she is today, happy as ever. Her eye keeps changing colors! She has gotten a lot of attention! Next weekend is her birthday. I have a feeling she will not be 100% free of the black eye by then...

Mikayla and me enjoying a very cool place!

Caleb...digging. Some things never change :) I really like this picture!

Auntie Terri suggested that they make silly faces..how cute! Terri took lots of photos with her awesome camera, can't wait to see them!!!

Goat Cheese and Park Time

We took a drive down Lakeshore to the Carmelis Goat Cheese Farm...saw some goats, ate some gelato...took some photos. Then we stopped in at Bertram park for lunch.
I'm so thankful to live in such a beautiful place where there are so many awesome things to see and do!

Grandpa and the kids
Wow, look at that view...those lucky goats!

Can you see the goats on the hillside in this photo?

This was the kids' favorite part- Gelato!!!

Caleb loved having Grandpa push him on the swing.

KLO Apple Orchard

I love fall! I am so excited to see the trees beginning to change colors! The way the leaves change here is so different than in Fresno where I grew up. It is truly spectacular! Another favorite thing about fall is the apple tour. We decided to take my dad (who is visiting for the weekend!) and the two little ones on the tour while the big girls were in school.

Caleb and his "guys"

Grandpa asked the tour guide if Caleb could sit on the tractor...He was really excited to do this!

Goats like carrots! Our kids liked feeding the goats!